Hydraulic system of ore separation.



W. POLGLASB @L P. BATES. HYDRAULIC SYSTEM 0F `ORE SEPRATION.

APPLIOATION FILED JULY 22, 1910.

Patented Dec. 19,1911.

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w. PoLGLAsE & 1". BATES. HYDRAULIC SYSTEM OF ORE SEPARATION.

APPLIOAVTION FILED JULY 22, 1910. 1,012,151 Patented Dec. 19,1911.

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W. POLGLASE & F. BATES. HYDRAULIC SYSTEM 0T ORE SEPARATION. APPLIoAToNFILED JULY 22, 1910.

1,012,151. S Patented Dec.19,191l1.

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u`\ S Si' l ATTORNEYS WILLIAM POLGLASE AND FRANK BATES, OF GREAT FALLS,MONTANA.

HYDRAULIC SYSTEM OF ORE SEPARATION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec'. 19, 1911.

Application filed July 22, 1910. Serial No. 573,211.

To all lwhom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM PoLcLAsE and F RANK BATES, both citizens ofthe United States, and residents of Great Falls, in the county ofCascade and State of Montana, have invented a new and Improved HydraulicSystem of Ore Separation, of which the following is a full, clear, andexact description. Y

This invention relates to a new and improved hydraulic system for theseparation of high and low grade ores, such ascopper and gold, andincluding the slimes.

An object of this invention is to provide a system which will becomparatively simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture,strong, durable, readily accessible for the purpose of cleaning, andhighly efficient in its operation. .Y v

Another object of this invention is to provide a system in which aplurality of separations are obtained by a rising current in standseparators, and in which intermediate separations are obtained by bathelaunder separators.

A further objectrof this invention is to provide a concentrating systemin which the succesive hydraulic separators are of increased depth, withfeed pipes having their outlet openings located 'atsuccessively-increasing depths within the separators, so as to increasethe eiciency of the system as the process proceeds.

These and further objects, together with the construction andcombination of parts, will be more fully described hereinafter andparticularly set forth in the claim.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part ofthis specilicaticn, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the views, and in which- Figures 1 and 1aillustrate in elevation the complete system, partly in section to showthe underlying structure; Fig. 2 is a top plan view, partly in sectionon the line 2 2 of Fig. 1, of one of the stand separators; Fig. 3 is atop plan view of the slimers or sliming separators; Fig. 4 is afragmentary vertical section illustrating one of the launder separators;Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5 5 of Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is a fragmentaryview in elevation, showing the overflow outlet and the controlling gatetherefor; Fig. 7 is a vertical section through one of the spreaders forcontrolling the outlet from is provided a baille separator 2, whichcon-' sists, as will be seen by reference to Figs. 4 and 5, of a bafiieplate 3, adjustable in ways 4 toward and from the bottom of the launder1, by any suitable means, such as the adjusting screws and nuts 5. Thisbaffle plate 3 is spaced a suitable distance above the bottom of thelaunder 1, so as to provide a passage 6, through which the heavyconcentrates traveling along the bottom of the launder may just pass.These heavy concentrates are caught-by a riflle 7 andforced to enter bymeans of a passage 8 into a chute 9 from whence they travel to thestoring bins.

In order to offer a hydraulic resistance through the passage 6, there isprovided an outlet 10 in the plate 3, which communicates with a uidpassage 11,*which in turn is supplied with a suitable fluid, such aswater, by means of a pipe 12 controlled by a valve 13. The resistance fthe hydraulic stream through the passage 6, and the size of the passagel6 are such that only the heavy concentrates will pass therethrough, andthe lighter concentrates and sands will pass up over the lower portionof the baffle plate 3, through an opening 14 provided therein. One ormore of these baffle separators, which are shown to be inclined, may beprovided in the baffle chute 1.

At the lower end of the launder 1, which is inclined so as to permit thematerial to flow by gravity, there is provided a downwardly-extendingfeed pipe 15, which is connected to an outlet opening in the launder 1.The flow of material from this feed pipe is controlled by means of aspreader 16, the particular form of which is more clearly illustrated inFig. 7, where it will be seen that it consists of a double conicalmember, having guides 17, preferably three in number, adapted to engagethe inner side of the feed pipe 15, so as to guide its movement. For thepurpose of adjusting this spreader 16, it is provided with a rod 17',

having an adjusting means, in the form of a screw-threaded engagement,with an adjusting nut 18, supported in any well known manner. The feedpipe 15 extends down into the inner compartment 19of a stand separator20. The material fed into the compartment 19 is exposed to the action ofan upwardly-traveling hydraulic current admitted at the bottom of thecompartment 19 by means of a plurality of openings 21, which aresupplied by a passage 22, which in turn is supplied by a pipe 23controlled by a valve 24. This upward flow of water is so regulated thatthe heavy concentrates alone will fall to the bottom of the compartment,where they pass through a conduit 25 into a passage 26, which isconnected in any suitable manner to a receptacle, into which theconcentrates drop and travel to the bins. The rest of the material,consisting of the sands and lighter concentrates, which are not heavyenough to fall against the upwardly-traveling stream of water, iscarried up over the edge of the inner compartment 19, and falls into apreferably concentricallyarranged compartment 27, where it is exposed tothe action of a similar upwardly-traveling stream of water underpressure, of less intensity and force, however, than the stream to whichthe material was exposed in the compartment 19. This hydraulic stream islikewise supplied by a plurality of openings 28 opening into thecompartment 27, adjacent the bottom thereof, and supplied by a pipe 29,which is controlled by a regulating valve 30. In this compartment 27,the heavy material, embodying heavy sands and some concentrates, such asgangue carrying included' grains of concentrates, settles to the bottomof the compartment, where it travels, by virtue of an inclined falsebottom 81, to one side of the compartment 27, where is provided anoutlet passage 32, communicating with a drawing-off chute 33, which mayhe connected to a suitable hopper. The material which is not heavyenough to settle against t-he upwardly-rising current of water in thecompartment 27, flows over the upper edge of the compartment, and iscaught in a catch basin 34, the bottom of which inclines downwardlytoward one side, where there is provided an outlet opening 35. Thematerial traveling through the upward opening 35, is caught by a launder36, which is provided with one or more battle separators 37 similar tothe batiie separator 2, and adapted to separate out into chutes 38, acertain amount of the concentrates. The remainder of the concentratesland the sand pass through the openings in the battle plates and travelto the lower end of the launder 36, from whence they are dropped bymeans of a feed pipe 39, into the inner compartment 40 of a standseparator 41. This feed pipe 39 is also controlled by a spreader 42,which distributes the material in the compartment 40 in such a mannerthat every particle thereof will be exposed to the action of anupwardly-traveling current of water, which is let into the compartment40, adjacent the bottom thereof, by means of a plurality of openings 43,which are supplied by a suitable pipe 44, controlled by a valve 45. The

force of this upwardly-flowing current is somewhat less than the forceof the current in the compartment 27, of the separator 20, but issufficient to make a further separation between the heavy concentratesand sand, the heavy concentrates falling to the bot tom, where they passout into a conduit 46 and into a chute 47,- from whence they may bedrawn into a suitable bin or hopper at suitable intervals. The lightermaterial, which has not sutiicient mass to settle against the risingcurrent of the water, passes up over the edge of the compartment 40, andis deposited in the preferably concentrically-arranged outer compartment48 of .the stand separator 41, where it is submitted to the separatingact-ion of an upwardly-flowing current of water or other solution ofless head than the current in the compartment 40. This water issupplied, as in the other compartments, by means of openings 49, a pipe50 and a valve 51. The settlings in the compartment 48, consistingprobably of somek gangue and some concentrates, `are drawn off throughan opening 52, which is located at the lower side of an inclined bottom53, and is taken up to the Crushers to be further treated.' The overflowfrom the compartment 48 is caught in a catch basin 54, from the lowerside of which it travels through an outlet 55 into a launder 56, whereit is subjected to the separating action of one or more batlieseparators 57. From this launder 56, it passes, by means of a feed pipe58, into a stand separator 59, which is similar to the separators 20 and41, the upward currents, however, in this sep arator being ofconsiderably less strength, and, inasmuch as the sands by this time, byreason of their size, have somewhat greater settling force than theconcentrates, which at this point approach slimes in magnitude, thesands will settle to the bottom of the compartment, and the concentratestogether with the light slimes, will overflow into a catch basin 6()with which the separator 59 is provided. The overflow in the catch basin60 passes out into a launder 61, where it may be further treated by oneor more battle separators 62, from whence it may pass to another launder63 (see Fig. 1a), provided with one or more batlle separators 64.

Extending from the launder 63, there is provided a feed pipe 65, whichprojects downwardly into a stand separator 66. This separator is similarto the separators 20, 40 and 59, with the exception that the outercompartment is divided adjacent its top by means of a ring band 67,which is adjustably supported in any well known manner, as by means ofadjustable screw and nut hangers 68. The purpose of this ring band l aplurality of openings 76 in the 67 is to force the overflow from theinner compartment to, pass down a considerable distance in the outercompartment, so as to expose the very tine particles to the action ofthe upwardly-flowing current of water in the outer compartment. Fromthis separator 66, theoverlow passes into a distributer 69, from whencethe material is distributed to a plurality of slimers or slimeseparators 70, having gradually-decreasing upward hydraulic currents.These slime separators 70 are similar to the separators 66, and areprovided with baffle rings similar to the ring 67. Y

It will be noted that each of the launders may be provided with one ormore outlets 71, located in juxtaposition to the batiie separators,which are adapted to drain off the surplus water and the slimes. Theseoutlets are each preferably provided with a screen 72, whereby the heavymaterial is prevented from passing therethrough. For the purpose ofcontrolling these outlets, there are provided sliding gates 73, whichslide in ways 74, and are adapted to be held in any adjusted position bymeans of a pin 75, which is adapted to engage any one of gate 73.Another point to be noted is the fact that the stand separators il and59 are somewhat deeper than the stand separator 20, and that the feedpipes 38 and 58 extend somewhat deeper down into the central compartmentthan does the feed pipe l5. The purpose of this is to start the finerparticles of concentrate lower down in the compartment, so that theywill be exposed to the action of the rising current for a greater periodof time.

The operation of the device will be readily understood from the abovedescription. The material is so treated that it is not once allowed tosettle, but is kept in a constant turmoil by the rising currents ofwater until the last slime separation is made, these currents in themain separators being the strongest, and decreasing gradually to almostnothing in the slime separators.

It will thus be seen that this vsystem does away with the excessiveexpenditure and the use of an excessive amount of machinery which isusually needed in the treatment of ores at the present time.

While we have shown one embodiment of our invention, we do not wish tobe limited to the speciiic details thereof, but desire to be protectedin various changes, modifications and alterations which may come withinL' the scope of the appended claim.

Having thus described our invention, we claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent The Acombination with a plurality ofseparators, of launders connecting said separators, each of saidseparators comprising a plurality of nesting compartments adapted toreceive the overflow from each other, and means for affording a risinghydraulic current in said compartments, one or more batlie vseparatorsin said launders, each of said baiile separators comprising a baiileplate adapted to be spaced apart from the bottom of said launders toform a passageway, and means for affording a resisting hydraulic streamin said' passage, a distributer connected to the lowermost of saidseparators, and slimes separators connected to said distributer.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM POLGLASE. FRANK BATES.

Vitnesses:

ANDREW HENSLER, WILLIAM J. TRETHENEY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, IJ. G.

